Hong Kong Sports Stars: golden Olympic duo Vivian Kong, Cheung Ka-long win top awards
Olympic champion Vivian Kong Man-wai was crowned women's 'best of the best' at the Cathay 2024 Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards on Thursday, ending the three-year reign of fellow Paris Games star Siobhan Haughey.
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There was no displacing Cheung Ka-long in the men's category, however, as the city's fencing king claimed the personal honour for a fourth straight year, in recognition of the successful defence of his Olympic foil title last summer.
During a one-month voting period, judging panels, the media and the public selected five men's and five women's sports stars from 38 and 36 nominations respectively.
Along with Kong, the women's honours went to Haughey, who earned 100 and 200 metres freestyle bronze in the French capital, table tennis' Doo Hoi-kem, the karateka Grace Lau Mo-sheung, and Ho Yuen-kei, a double Paralympics boccia gold medallist last year.
Kong, 31, beat her fellow winners to the top prize during the ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, attended by Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Warner Cheuk Wing-hing and Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui.
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Last July, Kong became the city's first female Olympic fencing gold medallist when she sensationally recovered from 7-1 down against French rival Auriane Mallo-Breton to win her épée final 13-12.
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